Tutorial: Upcycled Toilet Paper Roll/Tube Owls

 Tutorial: Upcycled Toilet Paper Roll/Tube Owls

 My little monkey came to me recently and exclaimed, "Mama, I want to make owls. Can we make some owls, please?" So, being the crafty mama that I am; I said sure and we set off to find our supplies. *This project is easy enough for kindergarten/preschool/toddler ages, fun for older children/teens, and you can fancy it up to make a special gift for your adult friends. 

 We cut out all of our shapes, then organized them into a cup holder we had in the recycle bin.

 The monkey had so much fun making these owls. He was enthusiastic and creative. Working with kids is so rewarding, especially when you see the pride in their beaming little faces once they're done. When they see what they've created, the joy they feel is beyond words.

Here are our owls half finished. Mine on the left, his on the right. The small black dots are just a template for him, so he knows how far up to put the feathers.

 Our adorable finished upcycled owls. What do you think? I think they're precious, and they work up so quickly. It was a fun experience. Would you like to make your own owl? Keep scrolling to see the tutorial.

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Now are you ready to have some fun of your own, and recycle/upcycle in the process. This is a great craft to use up some of those old toilet paper rolls/tubes; instead of tossing them in the garbage or letting them kick around the house for the cats to play with. ;p

Owl enthusiasts and children everywhere will love these adorable little works of art.

Ready for the tutorial, let's get started.

You will need:

 Toilet Paper Rolls/Tubes
 Construction Paper
 Pencil
 Scissors
 Glue Stick

Instructions:

  First, make your wings, feathers, feet, beak, and eyes. 

*Fold your paper a few times, then cut out your shapes. You will have a small stack of them if you do this. Copy this method for all shapes to speed up the cutting process.

For the wings, using your pencil draw a long oval. Approximately two inches long.
For the feathers, a small oval. Approximately one inch.
For the beak, a small triangle. Approximately half an inch.
For the eyes, medium white circles and small black circles. Approximately 3/4 of an inch, and almost half an inch.
For the feet, I drew three small half ovals and extended upward from each side to make a small leg. Just over 3/4 of a inch.

 Got all your shapes cut out? Okay, let's continue.
 Start by gluing one end of a piece of construction paper (6x9inch) to your tube.

Wrap it around the tube (the long way); add glue to the other end and press to seal the seam.

 Next, press one end of the paper into the tube. 

Now, to make the ears. Flip tube and press gently into the center of back edge of paper (where seam meets). Do the same to the front edge of the paper.

Voila! Owl ears, wasn't that easy. Now you have your basic template to complete your owl.

Here comes the fun part, gluing all the tiny pieces onto the owl. This could get messy. ;c)
Start by adding glue to only one half of each small oval.

Press the glued half onto your owl, leaving the other half to hang freely (like real feathers).

Continue adding feathers, overlapping each new one over the previous (I only placed five feathers across the front of the owl, you may work around the back as well; if you desire).

Once you've completed one row, make another row overlapping the first; and so on... until you reach your desired spot on the owl (I made six rows of feathers).

 Place the beak onto your glue stick, slide across and off glue stick, press firmly onto center of owl just above top row of feathers (overlapping a bit is fine).

Add glue to white circles, and press each firmly onto owl; one on either side of beak.

Add glue to small black circles. Press firmly into white circles in any way desired; to make a multitude of different expressions. 

For the wings, glue only about half an inch of each wing. 

Press wing firmly onto side of owl; at a slight angle. Repeat with other wing. Gently fold wings outward.

To add the feet, glue only the small leg part of each foot.

Press each foot firmly onto inside of tube. Then gently fold upward toward front of owl.

 Voila! There you have it, an adorable upcycled owl. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Here are all of the owls together.

In the last picture, you may notice that I drew little white dots on the pupils with my handy dandy white marker. If you like the look and have one of your own, feel free to draw them on. Or if you're feeling adventurous, cut out two tiny white circles from your scraps; and glue them on.

**Fun ideas
For more upcycling fun. Try cutting your shapes from other recyclables (cereal/cracker boxes, magazines, newspaper, etc); the possibilities are endless.

Draw designs on your owls feathers, wings, and faces with sharpies or other markers. You could also use pens, colored pencils, crayons, or paint.

Use scrapbook paper, cardstock, or other decorative papers to wrap the tube and make the wings/feathers.

Add glitter for some sparkle. Or glue on sequins, jewels, or other embellishments. Also try colored salt for some fun texture.

Make a hair bow out of scrap ribbon for a cute girl owl.

There's so much you can do. Reach for the sky and use your imagination. The possibilities are endless. Until next time, Happy Crafting.